Page 99 of Reckless
Everything in me went quiet except for the burning desire.
His forehead almost touched mine.
“If I kiss you,” he said, voice rough now, “This changes everything.”
I should have said yes and agreed simply.Instead what came out was the truth.“It already has.”
The end of whatever restraint had been holding the moment upright.
His mouth met mine slow to feel like a question.Desire rushed through me with aching need because he clearly chose me.With his lips on mine, warm and devastatingly real, I kissed him back.
And everything broke open.
The care was still there, but now it had hunger under it.
My fingers grabbed his shirt without dignity.He made a low, rough sound into my mouth that sent heat shooting straight down my spine.
I’d been kissed before but nothing had ever felt like this.
Nothing had ever felt like being claimed and asked at the same time.
His hand came to my waist.
I opened for him because that was the sort of decision I was making now, and his mouth deepened against mine, slower and harder at once.
I kissed him like I had been waiting for permission from myself and had finally gotten tired of pretending I needed it.
He tasted like whiskey and tea and something warm I had no business wanting more of.
His thumb moved against my neck and my knees almost gave.
He noticed that too, and pulled me in closer, one arm firm around my waist now, not enough to trap, enough to steady.
That somehow made it more romantic.
When we finally broke apart, it was only because breathing had become medically necessary.
I kept my hands in his shir and he kept his forehead against mine, holding my waist.
Neither of us spoke but then his thumb moved once against my skin.
Then again.
He lifted his head enough to look at me.
Moonlight hit one side of his face.My breath was still wrong.His wasn’t much better.
And because I was incapable of leaving myself any room to recover with grace, I said, “This was probably a terrible idea.”
“Yes.”
“You’re supposed to disagree.”
“Why?It was a terrible idea and I’d do it again immediately.”
“That does not help.”
“It wasn’t meant to help.It was meant to be honest.”
